Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Israel plans to double settlement in Golan Heights

FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Israel, Dec. 19, 2021.  (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File ) FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Israel, Dec. 19, 2021. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File )
Share
MEVO HAMA, Golan Heights -

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday the country intends to double the amount of settlers living in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights with a multimillion-dollar plan meant to further consolidate Israel's hold on the territory it captured from Syria more than five decades ago.

Bennett said the new investment in the region was prompted by the Trump administration's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the swath of land and by the Biden administration's indication that it will not soon challenge that decision.

"This is our moment. This is the moment of the Golan Heights," Bennett said at a special Cabinet meeting in the Golan Heights. "After long and static years in terms of the scope of settlement, our goal today is to double settlement in the Golan Heights."

Bennett's office said the government would invest some 1 billion shekels (over US$300 million) into developing the Golan, including the establishment of two new settlements as well as investments in tourism, industry, clean energy and technology that would create several thousand jobs.

Entrenching Israeli control over the territory would complicate any future attempt to forge peace with Syria, which claims the Golan Heights.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed the territory, promoting settlement and agriculture there as well as creating a thriving local tourism industry.

The U.S. was the first country to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as Israeli-occupied.

Bennett said the decade-long war in Syria made the idea of Israeli control of the territory more acceptable to its international allies, adding that the alternative would be much worse.

Israel has long argued that the strategically important area has, for all practical purposes, been fully integrated into Israel since it was captured from Syria - and that control of the strategic plateau is needed as protection from Iran and its allies in Syria.

Some 50,000 people live in the Golan Heights -- roughly half Jewish Israelis and half in Druze Arab villages that formerly were part of Syria. Some of the Druze population opposes Israeli control.

The Israeli development plan aims to double the Jewish population in the coming years.

Shortly after making his remarks, Bennett's office said he was notified that his daughter tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the Israeli leader to leave the Cabinet meeting and head into self-isolation at home.

Bennett's office said he had tested negative in a rapid test taken before the meeting and that Bennett's daughter, 14, was vaccinated.

Israel's education minister, Yifat Shasha-Biton, missed Sunday's meeting after her daughter tested positive for COVID-19. Her office said she had gone into self-isolation while she awaited the results of a coronavirus test.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.